It is the administrative headquarters of Rampur District. According to the government of India, the Rampur District is one of several Muslim majority districts on the basis of the 2001 census data on population, socio-economic indicators and basic amenities indicators.[3] It is also known as city of nawaabs . It is famous for its rampuri chaaku (knife).

Originally it was a group of four villages named Kather, the name of Raja Ram Singh. The first Nawab proposed to rename the city Faizabad. But many other places were known by the name Faizabad so its name was changed to Mustafabad alias Rampur.[4]

As per medieval history Rampur was the part of Delhi and was divided between Badaun and Sambhal districts. Being situated on upperside of Rohilkhand, it was known by the name Kather and was ruled by Katheria Rajputs. The Katheria Rajputs fought for about 400 years with the rulers of Delhi and later with Mughals. They fought with Naseeruddin Mahmood in 1253, Gaisuddin Balwan in 1256, Jalaluddin Firoz in 1290, Firoj Shah in 1379 & Sikander Lodhi in 1494. In the beginning of Mughal period the capital of Rohilkhand was changed from Badaun to Bareilly and hence the importance of Rampur increased.[4]

Flag of princely Rampur.

The Rohilla War of 1774–5 began when the Rohillas reneged on a debt they owed the Nawab of Oudh for military assistance against the Marathas in 1772. The Rohillas were defeated and driven from their former capital of Bareilly by the Nawab of Oudh with the assistance of the East India Company's troops. The Rohilla State of Rampur was established by Nawab Faizullah Khan on 7 October 1774 in the presence of British Commander Colonel Champion, and remained a pliant state under British protection thereafter.[5]

Faizullah Khan

Nawab Faizullah Khan laid the first stone of the new fort at Rampur and thus Rampur city was founded in 1775. Originally it was a group of four villages named Kather, the name of Raja Ram Singh. The first Nawab proposed to rename the city 'Faizabad'. But many other places were known by the name Faizabad so its name was changed to Mustafabad alias Rampur. Nawwab Faizullah Khan ruled for 20 years. He was a great patron of scholarship, and began the collection of Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Urdu manuscripts which now make up the bulk of the Rampur Raza Library. After his death his son Muhammad Ali Khan took over, but he was killed by the Rohilla leaders after 24 days, and Ghulam Muhammad Khan, the brother of the deceased, was proclaimed Nawab. The East India Company took exception to this, and after a reign of just 3 months and 22 days Ghulam Muhammad Khan was defeated by its forces. The Governor-General made Ahmad Ali Khan, son of the late Muhammad Ali Khan, the new Nawab. He ruled for 44 years. He did not have any sons, so Muhammad Sa'id Khan, son of Ghulam Muhammad Khan, took over as the new Nawab. He raised a regular Army, established Courts and carried out many works to improve the economic conditions of farmers. His son Muhammad Yusuf Ali Khan took over after his death. His son Kalb Ali Khan became the new Nawab in 1865.[4]

NawabKalb Ali Khan was literate in Arabic and Persian. Under his rule, the state did much work to uplift standards of education. He was also a Member of Council during the Viceroyalty of Lord John Lawrence. He built the Jama Masjid in Rampur at a cost of Rs. 300,000. He was also knighted in Agra by the Prince of Wales. He ruled for 22 years and 7 months. After his death his son Mushtaq Ali Khan took over. He appointed W. C. Wright as the Chief Engineer of the state and built many new buildings and canals. Nawab Hamid Ali became the new ruler in 1889 at the age of 14. Many new schools were opened during his reign, and lots of donations were provided to nearby colleges. He donated Rs. 50,000 to Lucknow Medical College. In 1905 he built the magnificent Darbar Hall within the Fort which now houses the great collection of Oriental manuscripts held by the Rampur Raza Library. His son Raza Ali Khan became the last ruling Nawab in 1930. On 1 July 1949 the State of Rampur was merged into the Republic of India. Rampur today presents a slightly decayed appearance: the palaces of the Nawabs are crumbling, as are the gates and walls of the fort. However, the Library remains a flourishing institution of immense value to scholars from all over the world.[4]

Nawab of Rampur Yusef Ali Khan and his family on elephants scorted by Rampurian and British troops to the encampment of Lord Canning

The Nawabs of Rampur sided with the British during India's First War of Independence in 1857,[6] and this enabled them to continue to play a role in the social, political and cultural life of Northern India in general and the Muslims of the United Provinces in particular. They gave refuge to some of the literary figures from the Court of Bahadur Shah Zafar.

Important descendants of the Nawabs include Murad Mian the first child of late Nawab Murtaza Ali Khan Bahadur of Rampur. Begum Noor Bano, the widow of the former Nawab's younger brother and ex-MP Zulfiquar Ali Khan of Rampur. Begum Noor Bano has become a politician and won the election from Rampur parliamentary constituency in 1999. She lost the elections in 2004,2009 from Rampur and 2014 from Moradabad consecutively. Murtaza Ali Khan and Zulfiquar Ali Khan (aka Mikki Mia), who continued to use the title of Nawab as a token even after independence and abolition of royalty but never ruled Rampur, are now dead. Murtaza Ali contested an election from Rampur opposite his mother Rafat Jamani Begum in 1972 and won. Although the two brothers were always political rivals they never faced each other in elections. Subsequently, the family was also involved in smuggling scandals involving some smuggling from Pakistan, where one of the sons of Murtaza Ali is married. Raza Inter College, Hamid Inter College and Murtaza Inter College are three higher secondary schools named after three nawabs.[5]

The present Nawab of Rampur, Muhammad Kazim Ali Khan Bahadur (born 16 October 1960), is an Indian politician and the present titular Nawab of Rampur. The eldest son of Zulfikar Ali Khan Bahadur, he succeeded his father as titular Nawab upon the latter's death in 1992. He was educated at Chandigarh University where he took a Bachelor of Arts degree and at Columbia University where he took a Master of Arts degree in architecture and urban design in 1988. He served as a member on the Raza Library Board in Rampur from 1993 to 2002. From 1996 to 2004, Muhammad Kazim Ali served as a M.L.A in the Swar Tanda Uttar Pradesh state assembly; in 2003 he was briefly the state minister for minority welfare and hajj affairs. Since 2003, he has been the Chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation.[7]

Rampur, located between longitude 79°05' E and latitude 28°48' N, is in Moradabad Division of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is surrounded by district Udham Singh Nagar in north, Bareilly in east, and Moradabad in west and Badaun in south. Spread in area of 2,367 km2, Rampur is 192-meter above sea level in north and 166.4-meter in south.[8] It is home to farms that cover long stretches of land. During rainy season just after a long period of rain the mountain ranges of Nainital can be seen in the north direction.

As per the 2011 Census of India,[10] Rampur had a population of 325,248 (compared to 281,549 in 2001) showing 16% growth in 2001–11. Males constituted 52.2% and females 47.8% of the population. Sex ratio was 915 compared to the national average of 940. Rampur had an average literacy rate of 53.7%, much lower than the national average of 64.3%. Male literacy was 56%, and female literacy was 51%. In Rampur, children under six years of age numbered 37,945 and were 11.7% of the population (14% in 2001).

Rampur is considered as third school of poetry after Delhi and Lucknow. Many prominent and legendary Urdu poets of the time like 'Dagh', 'Ghalib' and 'Ameer Minaee' joined the patronage of Rampur court. Nawabs of Rampur were very fond of poetry and other fine arts. They provided remunerations to the poets who were associated with ' darbar.' Nizam Rampuri earned great name as poet. In addition, Shad Aarifi was another famous poet from Rampur who evolved modern ghazal in a very distinct style.

The Rulers of Rampur have had distinct impact on the architecture of the region. The buildings and monuments signify the presence of Mughal type architecture. Some of the buildings are very old and have been built over repeatedly in course of time.

One of the most well designed monument is the Fort of Rampur(Hindi:रामपुर का किला). It also houses the Raza Library or Hamid Manzil, the former palace of the Rulers. It has a sizable collection of Oriental manuscripts. The fort also houses the Imambara.

The Jama Masjid is one of the finest piece of architecture to be found in Rampur. It resembles the jama masjid in Delhi to some extent and has a beautiful interior. It was built by NawabFaizullah Khan. It has a unique mughal touch to it. There are several entry-exit gates to the masjid. It has three big domes and four tall minarets with gold pinnacles boasting of a royal touch. It has a main lofty entrance gate that has an inbuilt clock tower occupied by a big clock that was imported from Britain.[13]

There are several entry-exit gates built by the Nawab. These gates are major entry-exit routes from the city. Examples are Shahbad Gate, Nawab Gate, Bilaspur Gate etc.

The Rampur-Sahaswan gharana of Hindustani classical music also has its origins in court musicians. Ustad Mehboob Khan, was a khayal singer and Veena player of the Rampur court; his son Ustad Inayat Hussain Khan (1849–1919), who trained and lived in the city, founded the gharana.[14]

Rampuri cuisine, a part of the Mughal cuisine tradition, developed by the chefs of the Nawabs, is also known for its distinct flavours and dishes with recipes passed on from the royal kitchen, like Rampuri fish, Rampuri Korma, Rampuri mutton kebabs, doodhiya biryani and adrak ka halwa.[15][16][17]

Rampur was traditionally famous for the knives known as Rampuri Chaaku, which even made their way to Bollywood crime thrillers in the 1960s and 1970s. Eventually the Government of Uttar Pradesh banned making knives longer than 4.5 inches in blade length, leading to a drop in their popularity.[18]

Rampur Railway Station (station code RMU) lies on the Lucknow-Moradabad line and junction point of Kathgodam railway line. which work under NER. Train connections include Avadh Assam Express, Jammu Tawi-Sealdah Express, Kashi Vishwanath Express, Howrah-Amritsar Express, Ganga Sutlej Express and Satyagraha Express. Seat reservation is computerized. The station is served by the Northern Railways. Moradabad railway station is 30 km to the west of Rampur. Going south-east, Bareilly railway station is the nearest major station. Hotel Tourist and Restaurant is only 5-minute walk from the railway station.[19] The electrification of railway lines of Rampur junction is completed.

The foundation of Jama Masjid in Rampur was laid by NawabFaizullah Khan.[13] It was built at the cost of 300,000 at that time and it was further completed by NawabKalb Ali Khan.[4] The area around the Jama Masjid became a center of attraction and a big market was developed around it, known today as the Shadab Market. A big jewellery market also lines the masjid known as Sarrafa. The shops were rented out to businessmen to meet the mosque's requirements. Hindus and Muslims both own these shops and customers belong to both communities. This shows communal harmony that exists in this area.[22]

Raza Library

Rampur's Raza Library

NawabFaizullah Khan, who ruled Rampur from 1774 to 1794, established the library from his personal collection of ancient manuscripts and miniature specimens of Islamic calligraphy in the last decades of the 18th century. It is one of the biggest libraries of Asia. As all the succeeding Nawabs were great patrons of scholars, poets, painters, calligraphers and musicians, the library grew by leaps and bounds. Notable additions were made to the collection during the rule of Nawab Ahmad Ali Khan (1794–1840).[23]

It contains very rare and valuable collection of manuscripts, historical documents, specimens of Islamic calligraphy, miniature paintings, astronomical instruments and rare illustrated works in Arabic and Persian. The Raza Library also contains printed works in Sanskrit, Hindi, Urdu, Pashto (having the original manuscript of the first translation of the Qur'an in addition to other important books/documents), Tamil and Turkish, and approximately 30,000 printed books (including periodicals) in various other languages.[23]

Rampur Planetarium

State of the art planetarium is being established at Rampur. This will be India's first planetarium based on Digital Laser technology. The planetarium building is almost complete and equipments are being installed. The information will be directly fed by NASA.[24]

Gandhi Samadhi

Gandhi Samadhi is a memorial to Mahatma Gandhi. It signifies the struggles that Mahatma Gandhi took over for the independence of India from British Rule.

Kothi Khas Bagh

Kothi Khas Bagh is a palace located at Rampur, about 30 km east of Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh. It was the erstwhile residence of the Nawabs of Rampur. Set in a 300-acre compound, this huge 200-room European style palace is a unique blend of Islamic architecture and British architecture. It also features personal apartments and offices, music rooms and personal cinema hall of Nawabs. The huge halls, adorned with Burma teak and Belgium glass chandeliers, present a fine specimen of the architecture of a bygone era. There is an Italian marble staircase towards the main bedrooms. The statue of Kalb Ali Khan, the second Nawab of Rampur, is an eye-catching one. Kothi Khas Bagh is now in a dilapidated state due to the age and neglect.[25]

Ambedkar Park

Ambedkar Park is a memorial to Bhimrao Ambedkar. It is a beautiful park with a railway line along its boundary.

The education sector in Rampur and its villages is developing with investments pouring in. The city has several secondary and higher secondary schools and colleges. The educational institutions are the main attraction for students of nearby places like Kashipur-Anga, Kemri, Bilaspur etc. as many new institutions have come up in the city for various higher education mainly affiliated with MJP Rohilkhand University, Bareilly. Although the city has many educational institutes, Rampur has an average literacy rate of 55.05%, lower than the national average of 59.5%. Male literacy is 63.10%, and female literacy

Mohammad Ali Jauhar University is the first university to be founded in Rampur City.

is 46.19%.[26] The Muhammad Ali Jauhar University is the first university to be established.[27] Many public and government Primary schools are also playing crucial role in education sector in rural areas of Rampur. Impact College of Science & Technology is a newly opened Degree College and has been claimed highly ranked higher education institute in the District.[according to whom?]

Rampur has a largely agriculture-based economy. It has very fertile land, but little industry, and virtually no mineral extraction. The main industries of Rampur are wine-making, sugar processing, textile weaving, and the manufacture of agricultural implements. An inoperative sugar mill still stands in Rampur; it was closed down in 1999 amidst political rivalry, but work has since begun on restarting the mill after state government approval.[28] The major cash crop of the city is mentha, and menthol oil manufacturing also flourishes there.[29]

The company formerly known as Rampur Distillery & Chemical Company Ltd., Radico Khaitan, was established in Rampur in 1943 and is India's second largest liquor manufacturer. The distillery at Rampur manufactures high grade Extra Neutral Spirits (ENA) from molasses and grain, with a production capacity of 75 million litres of molasses ENA, 30 million of grain neutral spirits, and 460 thousands litres of malt whisky annually.[30]

The kite-making industry is one of the oldest and prime industries in Rampur, with various sizes and shapes of kite created by hand to this day. The kites made in Rampur are in great demand all over Uttar Pradesh.

Beedi making is another booming industry in Rampur. As noted above, Rampur-manufactured knives were quite famous in the 20th century and were known as Rampuri Chaaku. Eventually, however, the Government of Uttar Pradesh banned making knives with blades longer than 4.5 inches, leading to a drop in their popularity.[18]

Mentha and allied products Mursaina Rampur The major crops grown here include maize, sugarcane and rice. Majority of the crops are used as food by the people who grow them, therefore these crops do not go market.[35]